Page 15 of While You're There
“Do you know how worried I’ve been over these last two weeks? I knew something had to be wrong. You’ve barely responded to any of my texts, and I haven’t seen you since he came back to town. I had considered so many explanations for what was going on, and I thought I was prepared to see you tonight. But fuck. I didn’t expect you to tell me you’re engaged.”
Tori absorbed everything Fielding said. His defenses were finally down, and it was clear she had hurt him. It was her turn to apologize now.
“I’m sorry for not being a better friend or keeping in touch over the last few weeks, Field. Everything happened so fast. I was sort of avoiding you, and that was stupid. I should have told you about the engagement sooner.”
He nodded as he took another sip of his drink. He set his gaze across the bar before he spoke again. “So were you just using me to distract yourself while you waited for him?”
“No, Field, I swear. I wouldn’t do that. I love spending time with you, and I value our friendship. I’m not just saying that, either. I never expected to even like you. You’re cocky and goofy and pretty full of yourself for my taste,” she teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. “But hanging out at the Valet House and having lunch together became the best part of my day over the last few months. You were never just a distraction.”
“So it was real?”
The question gutted her. The sincerity of his voice, the weight of what he was asking. Tori had insisted that she only wanted a platonic friendship with Fielding, and he had respected that boundary. But she would be lying to herself if she tried to deny that she felt a deeper connection to Fielding than she did to any of her other friends. They had both felt that spark the moment they met.
“It was real. Our friendship is still real,” she clarified, not wanting to let any false hope linger between them.
Fielding was silent for a few beats, absorbing her words as he finished off his drink. “Okay. I can accept that. So we can still be friends?”
“Yes, of course. Nothing has to change between us, as long as you understand that I’m with Rhett.”
“I get it. I’m fine with it,” he said a little too quickly. “I think I’ve already proven that all I’m after is your friendship, Victoria. I love spending time with you, and I haven’t eaten a decent sandwich in nearly two weeks since you’ve been gone. I’ll forgive you for ghosting me if you promise we can pick up right where we left off.”
Tori nodded and exhaled a long breath. She wasn’t about to give up their friendship just because she was getting married.
Fielding’s smile transformed into a smirk. “So do you have to ask Daddy Wheeler’s permission before we can make plans?”
Tori glared at him. “Nope. That’s not going to fly. Rhett is going to be my husband in a few weeks. If you and I are going to stay friends, you have to respect him.”
“Fine,” Fielding rebuffed, waving his hand through the air for extra emphasis. “I just want to be able to hang out with you on a regular basis like before. That’s okay, right?”
“Absolutely,” she promised. “My schedule is sort of crazy this week, but I’m free tomorrow if you want to hang out then?”
“Deal.” Fielding smiled sincerely at her before he raised his empty glass in Jake’s direction. “I’ll have another.”
Jake rejoined them and gave Fielding a pointed look as he reached for his glass. “I’ll serve you, but you’re not driving tonight.”
“No shit, man.” His tone was playful, his consent a peace offering. Fielding knew better than to push it when it came to Jake’s tolerance for impaired driving.
Fielding leaned into Tori’s personal space for the briefest of moments. She could smell the whiskey on his breath mixed with the scent of his expensive cologne. It was a familiar scent, a smell that reminded her of lazy afternoons and easy conversations. “You gonna offer to drive me home tonight, Thompson? That’s what friends do for each other, right?”
She smiled back and shook her head. “I can’t. I mean, I would, but I didn’t drive tonight. I bet your buddy Jake would love to cart your drunk ass home in the Jeep,” she quipped before picking up her plate to carry it into the kitchen.
“Wait!” Fielding called after her before she pushed through the kitchen doors. Tori stopped in her tracks, turning around quickly when she heard the urgency in his voice.
“I’ve got one more condition before we’re back to being besties.” Fielding paused for dramatic effect. “Can you bring me more fries?”
Tori rolled her eyes. They were going to be okay.
Chapter seven
Rhett
IthadtakenRhettmost of the day to prepare for just two nights in Virginia. He was glad that Tori had to work after all. He didn’t need much—toiletries, a suit, a few shirts, his dress shoes, and his laptop—but his things were packed up in multiple boxes strewn between his bedroom and his parents’ garage, so it was impossible to just quickly grab what he needed. It didn’t help that he kept getting distracted by his ever-growing to-do list and the onslaught of emails pinging his inbox.
His body relaxed slightly as he eased the Prelude out of their neighborhood and onto one of the two main roads in town. The air was filled with the pungent, earthy tang of fresh mulch. New buds graced the tall trees that lined both sides of the road, creating a canopy that connected right above the parallel yellow lines.
He had lived in Hampton his whole life. Even when he went away to college, this town had always been home. It was unsettling to think about moving more than an afternoon’s drive away from everything he knew and everyone he loved. Relocating to Virginia was always going to be hard, but now that he and Tori were together and soon to be married, it felt even more complicated.
They should be house hunting together. Instead, he was moving hundreds of miles away, and she claimed she didn’t want to even think about moving or finding a place of their own yet. He understood she had other priorities. He wasn’t worried about long distance as much as he was just frustrated that after all this time of wanting to be together, they technically were, but they weren’t going to physically live together anytime soon.
